Culture of High Expectations

SEN works with district and school leaders to introduce renewed school cultures that build positive relationships between students and staff, center around high expectations for academic performance, and foster an attitude among staff of doing whatever it takes to help kids succeed.

Culture of High Expectations

OVERVIEW

Underperforming schools often suffer from entrenched cultures of low expectations. Turning around a failing school culture requires organizational restructuring that allows for a radical reimagining of how students and adults interact, how students are supported and served, and how a positive community can be established and maintained. Ultimately, the solution to a failing school culture requires high quality leadership capable of investing the community in the vision of the reimagined school. With support from SEN coaches, school leaders will implement systems and structures that improve the experience of adults and kids in their schools, making them safer and healthier learning spaces.

A positive school culture focused around celebration is a must for building momentum in a turnaround setting.

There has been a shift to a stronger school with a more purposeful culture of learning...focused on what are we doing to drive and improve instruction.

— Matt Mangan, Small Learning Community Leader @ Denby High School

It is imperative that revamped school cultures foster and maintain in all students a fundamental trust that the school has their best interest at heart. This is a crucial element in any social contract in which community members agree to meet the expectations set forth by the institution. Furthermore, the school culture must instill in students the unequivocal belief that success in school can lead to a better life, as many students in failing schools often have few examples of family members or people in their social network who have seen benefits in their life from education.

At SEN, we believe in a family-like school atmosphere in which students are taught to meet expectations over time, and are only excluded from the school community as an absolute last resort. Strong relationships are at the heart of this approach and our programs proactively develop meaningful connections between teachers and students across the community.

School Empowerment Network

SEN believes that even districts facing the greatest challenges are home to talented educators who, when properly recognized, organized, and developed, have great potential to lead transformative change in their schools or create new high-performing options.